Zelenskyy details rift with dismissed defense minister, saying some of his actions were misguided

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy provided his first detailed account of the rift with recently dismissed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, stating that certain actions taken by Fedorov were misguided. The dispute erupted over Fedorov's role in mass protests and calls for elections, which Zelenskyy deemed unwise.

In his remarks, Zelenskyy also criticized Fedorov's decisions regarding defense spending. The President alleged that inaccurate information from the Defense Ministry complicated a contentious encounter with U.S. President Donald Trump, who questioned the use of Starlink in Russia.

Ukraine's defense concerns are exacerbated by the growing shortage of Patriot air-defense missiles, as reported by Zelenskyy. Despite this, the Ukrainian President pointed to significant battlefield gains, noting that Ukrainian forces have nearly fully reclaimed the Dnipropetrovsk region, with just around 10 square kilometers still under Russian control.

These developments were shared during an off-the-record session with reporters on Saturday, with a transcript of the meeting subsequently made public.